DAILY NATION Thursday February 5, 2015 Olympics hockey dreams in jeopardy over lack of funds BY BRIAN YONGA byonga@ke.nationmedia.com The Kenya Hockey Union needs about Sh17 million to send the national women’s team to the World League Two series cum Olympic Games qualifiers that gets underway in Montevideo, Uruguay from February 14 to 22. KHU chairman Nashon Randiek revealed that they are still waiting for feedback from the government after sending their budget to the Sports Ministry a few weeks ago. The team has been training at the City Park Stadium for the last one month but has been unable to go into residential training due to lack of funds, an issue Randiek termed as discouraging. Randiek remained optimistic the government will sponsor the team. “The competition gets underway in under a week we are still waiting Sh17m Money Kenya Hockey Union say they need to send the national women’s team to Uruguay for the World League Two/Olympics qualifiers on the government to provide the funds needed. Lack of funds has made us not to provide an effective training camp for the team as we would have liked to,” -Randiek said. The union has to date not named a provisional squad with most of the players training having been called up by the hockey body last month in what was termed as an open training session. WELLINGTON SEVENS | ‘Toti’ Ochieng leads rejuvenated side in fourth leg of IRB world series Old Kenya search for new spark C Tried and tested hands of Asego, Injera, Wanjala lie in wait for Samoa and company BY AYUMBA AYODI @\ayumbayodi sayodi@ke.nationmedia.com an Kenya Sevens revive their dreams of getting an automatic place at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games by finishing in top four after the 2014/2015 World Rugby Sevens Series? That is the question as the rejuvenated team under coach Felix “Toti” Ochieng open their Wellington Sevens title quest against Argentina at dawn tomorrow. 24-7 Kenya’s victory over Argentina in Tokyo 2014, the last time the two teams met in the series The duel against the Pumas whom they met last at Tokyo Sevens last season, starts at 3.24am at the Westpac Stadium. They will then play Scotland at 6.42am before wrapping up their Pool D encounter against Samoa at 9.54am. Kenya are currently placed 14th in the World Rugby Sevens Series standings with 11 points after reaching Shield final at Gold Coast and Dubai before Bowl final Mandela Bay Sevens, Port Elizabeth. They must work extra hard to haul themselves to the top four places at the end of the season if they hope to make it to the Olympics in Brazil. If they fail, they will have to go through Africa region qualifying tournament. Kenya will be meeting the Pumas for the first time since last year’s Tokyo Sevens where they edged out the South Americans 24-7 at the pool stages. CHRIS OMOLLO | NATION MY BALL! Kenya Sevens stand off Lavin Asego in rapt attention as he goes through a passing drill at RFUEA grounds on January 28. The players know that we are not where we are supposed to be in the World Rugby Sevens Series and are focused on better results” Felix Ochieng, Kenya coach WELLINGTON 7S FIXTURES Tomorrow: Kenya v Argentina (3.24am, Thursday night), Kenya v Scotland (6.42am), Kenya v Samoa (9.54 am) Kenya reached the plate semis, losing to Australia 0-36. They are yet to meet Scotland this season but faced off three times last season winning in two of the outings. One of the meetings was at the Wellington Sevens Bowl final where Kenya triumphed 24-14. Samoa mauled Kenya 5-40 in their last outing at Dubai Sevens Bowl quarter-finals. “The players know that we are not where we are supposed to be in the World Rugby Sevens Series and are focused on better results,” said Ochieng. “We are not naïve but focused on the task ahead.” Some key Kenya players, who missed the last three legs, speedster Collins Injera and Lavin Asego from Mwamba, are back in the team. Others are young Billy Odhiambo, Michael Wanjala and Tony Owuor from Strathmore Leos. Also in the team is Dan Sikuta from Mwamba, who missed the South Africa leg after making a return in Dubai. It will also be interesting to see how Felix Ayange, who also missed the last three legs, following a shoulder operation, will operate behind the scrum. South Africa lead the series after a storming start to the season. Omondi’s strike hands Sofapaka win over Power Dynamos BY NATION REPORTER nationsports@ke.nationmedia.com Creative midfielder Kevin “Ade” Omondi (left) was the star for his new club Sofapaka, getting on the end of Enock Agwanda’s feed to score the lone goal in their 1-0 friendly match victory against visiting Zambian giants Power Dynamos at Nyayo Stadium yesterday. Going by Omondi’s eye catching display against the tidy Zambian side that thrashed Gor 3-0 on Sunday, he could be counted on by Sofapaka to play an important role in their continental and league ambitions this season. Power Dynamos are in Nairobi for a training camp ahead of the Confederation Cup preliminary round clash with Sudan’s Al-Khratoum. Sofapaka are preparing to host Zim- babwean side FC Platinum in the same competition. The game began rather sluggishly but momentum built up with the home side signalling their intent through danger men – Omondi and Agwanda. Their combination paid off four min- utes to the break when Agwanda fed Omondi with a neat ball which he swept past Dynamo goalie Becky Bizangi into the back of the net. A determined Dynamo could have levelled two minutes later but Julius Situmbeko – the youthful former Gor Mahia target – watched in agony as his penalty was saved by Sofapaka custodian David Okello after Felix Sunzu had been Sport 57 KPL to release fixtures, as FKF warns officials BY ISAAC SWILA iswila@ke.nationmedia.com The Kenyan Premier League is set to release its 16-team fixtures for the 2015 season even as Football Kenya Federation announced that plans for its 18-club national league are going on well. FKF at the same time said in a statement this week “there will be no other Premier League other than the one duly recognized by the Caf, Fifa and FKF”. KPL is racing against time to get their competition going and announced last week that its league will kick off on February 21 – a week after the FKF Premier League begins. It remains to be seen how the two parallel leagues will run after FKF in its statement warned referees and other match officials against officiating fixtures organized by any other body other that of the Football Kenya Federation Premier League Limited, which it stated is the company delegated to run the competition on behalf of the federation. However, speaking to Daily Na- tion Sport yesterday, KPL Chief Executive Jack Oguda reinforced the league’s position explaining that the bulk of the arrangements have been made. Fine tuning things “We are fine tuning a few things. Once they (fixtures) are ready, they will be sent. By tomorrow (Thursday) they should be ready,” he said. The league has had a three-month break that has starved football lovers of top flight action and KPL is determined to bring the flavour back. Talks between KPL and FKF over the composition of the top flight league collapsed last week after FKF refused to share with the league body the Fifa consultant report filed by German Robert Niemamn. The federation in its statement insisted that a copy of the report was delivered to KPL chairman Ambrose Rachier. “The federation confirms that, contrary to claims by the Kenyan Premier League Limited, the independent expert consultant’s report, was shared with chairman Ambrose Rachier last week, as advised by Fifa and any suggestions to the contrary are only an effort to discredit FKF.” BRIEFLY NAIROBI SuperSport, KBC joint press conference today Kenyan Premier League broadcast rights holders SuperSport will this morning in Nairobi hold a joint press conference with state broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Corporation where “a special announcement” will be made. Organisers were coy on what the special announcement will be but it is anticipated that the two could a announce working partnership in relation to airing of KPL matches that kick off on February 21. SuperSport television have been KPL’s broadcast rights holders since 2008.